Ķīselis lives on the border between a drink and a dessert and refuses to choose. Berries are simmered with water and sugar, strained, then thickened with a little potato starch until the juice turns silky and glossy. Made thin, it is poured into glasses and drunk warm or cold; made thick, it is spooned over rice pudding or cottage cheese; and with whipped cream on top it is dessert. Cranberries, which grow wild in Latvia's bogs, make one of the best versions: bright, tart, and the color of stained glass.

Most Baltic and Eastern European households have a version, and the fruit changes with the season, from rhubarb and red currants in summer to cranberries in autumn and winter. A warm glass of it is a fine thing to hand someone coming in from a cold track, and a cold one does nicely on a hot one.

The ķīselis

Ingredients

• 2 cups (200 g) cranberries
• 1 quart (1 liter) water
• 2/3 cup (130 g) sugar
• 3 tablespoons (30 g) potato starch
• 1 strip of lemon peel

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